Coin controlled game apparatus



Sept. 18, 1934. B. MacDOUGALL 1,973,820

com CONTRCSLLED GAME APPARATUS Filed June 28, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l flyj- V84 29 D 4 /'/0 23 ,8 Q 1 I I 75 g 52 v 3 2 g 85 2 79 76,

70 r 75 4/ II 5 8 1E 78 33 75 3 "2' g I, C 85 7 1 84 M F w 1 INVENTOR.

[If 3 flan Macpou all j i BY may HIS AITTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 18, 1934 UNITED STATES COIN CONTROLLED GAME APPARATUS BonMacDougall, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Fred C. McClellan,chicagorlll.

Application June 28, 1934, Serial No. 732,754

8 Claims. (Cl. 273-121) This invention relates to certain novelimprovements in a coin controlled game apparatus and has. for itsprincipal object the provision of an improved construction of thischaracter which will be economical in manufacture and which will providethe maximum degree of amusement.

Among the several objects of this invention is to provide a gameapparatus comprising a combination and arrangement of parts which whenoperated will simulate the playing of baseball.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a coin controlledamusement apparatus in which there is provided a. diamond and anarrangement for progressively advancing a ball or balls, simulating abase runner, along said diamond to a score receiving opening.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a coincontrolled game of skill in which there is provided a diamond and an arrangement for projecting a ball upon the diamond to be progressivelymoved around the diamond.

A still further object of this invention-resides in the novelcombination and arrangement of parts for automatically elevating a ballto a ing the ball or balls over that playing surface.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of partsto be hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by referencd'to the accompanyingdrawings, showing the preferred form of construction and in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the coin controlled game apparatus embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail view of the same taken substantially online 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view of the same taken substantially online 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional detail view of a means embodiedin theinvention for progressively advancing a ball;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional perspective view of the ballprogressing means embodied in the invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary-sectional detail view of the automatic elevatingmeans embodied in the invention; and

' Fig. 7 is a plan view of the ball elevating means A with parts thereofbroken away.

Referring more particularly to the drawings a game apparatus isindicated'at- 10. This game apparatus comprises a cabinet 11 having aglass top 12 beneath which is arranged a play board 13 having exitopenings 14 formed therein. Be-

neath this play board 13 is a gate 15 having a plurality of openings 16formed therein through winch balls trapped in the exit openings 14 maypass when the gate 15 is shifted to dispose the 0 openings 16 intoregistration with the openings playing surface and then automaticallyprogress- 14, the gate being adapted to support balls in certain of theopenings 14 when the openings 16 are disposed from registration with thesaid openings.

The gate 15 is'shifted through the medium of a coin controlled mechanism1'7 of any approved typewhich includes the slide 18 having a coinaperture 19 formed therein, the inner end of the slide 18 being providedwith an arm 20 having connection with the gate 15 to move the same forthe purposes herein stated. This gate may be, though not necessarily,supported beneath the play board by suitable cleats 21 secured toadjacent walls of the cabinet 10 or in any suitable manner which willbest serve the purpose.

Balls are projected through a ramp 22 by means of a suitable propellingmechanism 23 of a well known type including a plunger 24. From this rampthe balls are adapted to travel upon the play board and gravitate to'the lower end thereof or after striking any one or more of the pins 23disposed upon the play board 13 to pass through such of the openings 14as are not obstructed by the gate 15, or be supported by the gate 15 inany of the other of the openings 14.

Beneath the gate 15 is a floor 24' and this floor 24 is provided withindependent runways A and B. Each of these runways is provided withbranch runways 25, and these branch runways as well as the runways 25',of which the branch runways 25 form a part, are adapted forcommunication with such of the openings 14 as are not, as stated herein,obstructed by the gate 15, said openings being indicated at 14'.

Disposed in the runway A in the path of balls which are adapted totravel therethrough are circuit breakers or switches 26 and 27 adaptedto control an electric circuit between a source of electric energy 50and electromagnetic devices or solenoids 29 hereinafter more fullyreferred to.

Formed upon the play board 13 is an object D simulating a diamond of abaseball field.

The corners 29' of this diamond simulate the bases thereof and at suchcorners there are formed in the play board 13, Fig. 4, openings 30 inwhich are movably positioned ball seats 31 in the form of invertedcuplike elements as shown.

Each ball seat 31 is pivotally connected to the play board 13 as at 86in a manner such that when the gate 15 isin ball supporting position thegate will likewise support this ball seat in ball receiving position.But when the gate is moved from ball supporting position the ball seatwill pivot downwardly, by gravity and. discharge the ball upon the floor24 for return to a trough 73.

Each ball seat is provided with a slot 76 to allow clearance for an arm36, hereinafter referred to, when the seat drops to discharge a balltherefrom, the return of the ball seat to ball supporting position beingaccomplished by movement of the gate 15 into ball supporting position.

Defining the diamond are parallel rail elements 32 between which areconnecting runways 33 in the form of grooves formed in the surface ofthe play board 13 as shown in Fig. 5.

The solenoids 29 hereinbefore referred to are preferably connected inseries as at S (Fig. 3) and each includes a solenoid arm 34, the outerend of these arms 34 being angled upwardly through the correspondingslots 76 to provide the bat arms 36.

Each of the arms 34 is normally held in an outwardly projected position(full lines, Fig. 4) by means of a spring 37 one end of which isconnected to the arm as at 38 and the other end of which is connected tothe play board 13 as at 39.

Surrounding each of the openings 30 is a ring element 32 and these ringelements 32' function as ball stops so as to stop the played balls inthe seat portions of the ball seats 31.

Provided by the floor '24 is a guideway 42 which is adapted to receive aball from an opening 77 formed in the play board 13 and preferablydesignated as batter-up or a like designation.

This guideway at its lower end terminates in a slot 43 formed in thefioor 24'.

Supported by the floor 24 as at 44 for pivotal movement through thisslot 43 is an arm 45 one end of which has associated therewith a ballreceiving cup 46 adapted to receive a ball from the guideway 42 which inturn receives a ball which has passed through either of the openings '77and 72, designated as batter-up and single", respectively, Fig. 1.

The other end of the arm 45 is pivotally connected as at 47 to an arm 48of a solenoid 49 which is connected in circuit with the source ofelectric energy indicated at 50.

Formed in this ball receiving cup 46, Fig. 6, is an elongated slot 51.Projecting into this slot 51, when the cup 46 is in ball receivingposition, is an operating cam 52 having one end portion pivotallyconnected as at 53 to a fixed bracket 54. The other end of the operatingcam is connected as at 54 to a link 57 which in turn is connected as at58 to an arm 59, the latter being pivotally connected as at 60 to afixed bracket 61.\'l'h'is arm 60 is connected to one side of the sourceof electric energy and has fixed thereon a contact head adapted in amanner hereinafter explained to contact with a cooperating contact head55 .to complete the circuit between the solenoid 49 and the source ofthe electric energy 50. The arm and cam 51 are normally held in 'theposition shown in Fig. 6 by means of a spring member 62.

Adjacent the solenoid 49 is a bracket 63 the upper end of whichpivotally supportaas' at 64, an L-shaped arm 65 one end of which isprovided with a finger 66 adapted to engage the edge 67' of theoperating cam 52 when disposed in the position shown in dotted lines inFig. 6. The other limb 67 of the L-shaped arm 65. at its end portion 68provides a finger 69 adapted to engage the arm 45 when disposed in theposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

The game apparatus insofar as it relates-to my present inventionoperates as follows: When a ball is projected from the ramp 22 upon theplayboard 13 and passes through the opening 77, it,

will drop into the runway 42 and gravitate into the ball receiving cup46 whereupon the ball by virtue of its weight will pivot the operatingcam 52 and link 57 in a downward direction to bring the contact head 55into engagement-with the stationary contact head 55 whereupon thecircult between the source of electric energy50 and the solenoid 49 willbe completed. When this takes place the solenoid 49 will operate topivot the arm 45 upwardly to bring the ball receiving cup 46 intoposition to discharge the ballindicated at P upon the playboard formovement through the guideway '70 into the corner E of the diamond uponthe ball seat, 31 at that corner, which corner represents home plate. 1

At the entrance of this corner is a pivotally supported gate 78 (Fig. 2)which will pivot upwardly by action of the ball P to allow the ball P topass upon the ball seat but which will function, when the first ball Phas not been advanced to first base, to direct a second ball through arunway '79 for passage through a ball return opening 80 whichcommunicates with a return trough 73 by which the played balls arereturned to a point adjacent the elevating device '74.

Assuming that the next ball projected upon the play board 13 from theramp 22 passes through the one base opening indicated at 72', this ballwill 1 find entrance into the runway 42 whereupon it will gravitatetherealong and into the ball receiving cup 46 where it will be elevatedto the diamond in the manner hereinbefore recited in reference to theball P. If aball passes through the open- 1 ing indicated at 81 anddesignated as two base, or through either of the openings 82 or 83designated respectively as three base and home run", the ball at thebatters box T? will be i progressed around the diamond according to thenumber of base hits indicated at the opening through which the ball haspassed. For example, if it be assumed that the third ball will passthrough the opening 83 indicated as home run, this ball will enter intothe runway B and contact switches 28, 29', 30' and 31' arranged. in therunway B, completing a circuit between the corresponding solenoids 29and the source of electric energy 50, therebyenergizing the solenoidsand causing the latter to operate successively the 1 four ball-advancingarms or fingers 36 to advance the ball from the batters box E along thegrooves 33 which describe the baseball diamond D", the played ballspassing from the diamond D through a runway 76 into an elongated open- 1ing designating runs, and in which opening the balls are releasablysupported by the gate 15.

The balls from the runways A and B will gravitate, after having operatedthe respective switches of these runways to the return trough 73 wherethey will be returned by suitable elevating mechanism diagrammaticallyindicated at '74 to ball projecting position to be again projected bythe projecting device 23, at the proper time, upon the play board 13.

A ball passing through either of the openings 84, designated sacrificehit, will drop into the corresponding one of the runways A and B andoperate the switches therein (Fig. 3) to advance a ball or balls onebase.

From the description herein it will be seen that the advancing of theballs around the diamond, simulating a baseball diamond, is automatic incharacter and that by action of the balls the ballsare automaticallyelevated to the pitcher's box of the diamond for gravitation down to thebatters box where the ball or balls are automatically progress'ed alongthe diamond by the action of other balls projected upon the play board.

Such balls as do not pass through the openings 1 hereinbefore referredto will either gravitate to one of the "out openings indicated at 75 orto one of the strike or ball openings indicated at 85 and be heldtherein until the gate 15 is moved to discharge such balls therethrough.

' While I have illustrated and described the preferred form ofconstruction for carrying my invention into effect, this is capableofvariation and modification, without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of suchvariations and modifications as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

1. A game apparatus comprising an inclined board upon which balls areadapted to gravitate and said board being provided with an objectsimulating a baseball diamond and said board having exit openingsthrough which balls are adapted to pass to a point below said board;means operably controlled by balls passing through the exit openings ofsaid playboard for elevating balls from a point below said board to apredetermined point upon said diamond; and means for progressivelymoving the balls around said diamond. v V

2. A game apparatus comprising an inclined board upon which balls areadapted to gravitate and said board being provided with an objectsimulating a baseball diamond, having openings at the corners thereof,movable ball seats in said openings, said board having exit openingsthrough which balls are adapted to pass to a point below said board;means operably controlled by balls passing through the exit openings ofsaid play board for elevating a ball from a point below said board to apredetermined point upon said diamond; for gravitation to one of saidball seats; means for progressively moving said balls from said seatsaround said diamond, said play board being provided with an opening toreceive the balls from said diamond, and means for releasably retainingsaid balls in sa .l opening and for supporting said ball seats in ballreceiving position.

3. A game apparatus comprising an inclined board upon which balls areadapted to gravitate and said board being provided with an objectsimulating a baseball diamond, said board having exit openings throughwhich balls are adapted to pass to a point below said board; meansoperably controlled by balls passing through the exit openings of saidplay board for elevating balls from a point below said board to apredetermined point uponsaid diamond; and ball controlled means forprogressively advancing the balls along said diamond.

4. A game apparatus comprising an inclined board upon which balls areadapted to gravitate and said board being provided with an objectsimulating a baseball diamond, said board having exit openings throughwhich balls are adapted to passto a point below said board; meansoperably V controlled by balls passing through the exit open ings ofsaid play board for elevating said balls' from a point below said boardto a predetermined point upon said diamond; said play board beingprovided with an opening to receive the balls from 5. A game apparatuscomprising an inclined board having a plurality of exit openings formedtherein, means beneath the board for releasably retaining the balls incertain of said openings, a ball receiving element pivotally supportedbeneath the board and adapted for movement through an opening formed insaid board to discharge a ball upon said play board, means for directingballs passing through certain of the exit openings to said ballreceiving element, means for pivotally moving said ball receivingelement into said ball discharging position, and means controlled by aball to be elevated by said ball receiving element for operating saidball receiving element moving means.

6. A game apparatus comprising an inclined board having a plurality ofexit openings formed therein, means beneath the board for releasablyretaining the balls in certain of said openings, a ball receivingelement pivotally supported beneath the board and adapted for movementthrough an opening formed in said board to discharge a ball upon saidplay board, means for directing balls passing through certain of theexit openings to said ball receiving element, means for pivotally movingsaid ball receiving element into said ball discharging position, meanscontrolled by a ball to be elevated by said ball receiving element foroperating said ball receiving element moving means, said ball receivingelement moving means including an electrically operated. solenoid.

7. A game apparatus comprising an inclined play board having an objectsimulating a baseball diamond, electrically operated means for elevatinga ball from a point below said board into a position to gravitate to apredetermined point upon said diamond, electrically operated means forprogressively advancing said ball about said diamond, said board havingan opening adapted to receive the balls from said diamond, and meansslidably arranged beneath the board for releasably retaining the ballsin said opening.

8. A game apparatus including an inclined board having exit openingsformed therein, and having an object on the surface thereof simulating abaseball diamond, means for propelling balls for gravitation upon saidboard, a floor beneath said board, runways provided by said floor toreceive balls from certain of said exit openings, a pivotally supportedball receiving cup beneath said board and adapted to receive the ballsfrom one of said runways, electrically operated means for movingtsaidball receiving cup through an opening formed in the board to discharge aball upon said diamond, means associated with said cup and actuated by aball received thereby for controlling an electric circuit to saidelectrically operated means, electrically operated means forprogressively moving balls around said diamond, and means disposed inthe path of the other of the runways and adapted for engagement by ballstraveling through said other runways for controlling an electric circuitto said second named electrically operated means.

BON MACDOUGALL.

